I had been asleep for a couple of hours one night when my daughter came rushing into my room. “They’re out!” she announced.

            I jumped up quickly throwing on my socks, boots, and coat. We rushed outside looking up into the night sky and were rewarded with the most beautiful display I had ever seen. Curtains of greenish-yellow light rippled and danced through the air. As the waves moved and changed, we stood mesmerized, not even noticing how cold we were. The lights seemed to move and sway, first in one part of the sky then flowing to another. The colors lightened, then grew brighter and brighter. Yellowish green became tinged with pink. The curtain of colors waved in the wind, up and down, back and forth. The heavens were indeed declaring the glory of God.

            The aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, filled the sky as we watched that night but what causes these spectacles to appear? Long ago, the Inuit people of Alaska believed they were the spirits of animals they hunted for food such as seals, salmon, and whales, but we know from modern science these lights are created when electrically charged particles enter the earth’s atmosphere. The sun emits electrons and protons through solar storms, and they travel towards Earth. Most of these particles are deflected by the Earth’s magnetic field, but this field is weaker at the poles, so some of the particles can enter the atmosphere. Here they collide with gas particles and these collisions emit light.

The colors of the lights depend on what type of gas is present and how high above the earth the collisions occur. The most common color, pale yellowish green, occurs when the charged particles collide with oxygen about 60 miles above the surface of the earth. All red auroras, which are rare, occur when the molecules collide with oxygen at higher altitudes up to 200 miles above the surface. Blueish-purple light happens when molecules collide with nitrogen.       

The Northern Lights can occur any time of year but because the angle of the sun is higher in the summer, making daylight last almost all night, we can’t see them. But in the winter when it is dark, the lights are much easier to see.

God’s glory can be displayed in numerous ways and places, but the Northern Lights are truly spectacular.

What are some other ways the heavens declare God’s glory?

What are your favorite ways?

How can you declare the glory of God?

Prayer: Dear Father, thank you for the beautiful ways you show your glory in the skies and on the earth. Help me to display your glory to others as well. Amen.

Fast Facts – Aurora Borealis

• Aurora Borealis means dawn of the north, lights of the northern hemisphere.
• Aurora Australis means dawn of the south, lights of the southern hemisphere.
• The most common color is pale greenish-yellow but pinks, blues, and violets are also possible.
• The lights occur from 50-200 miles above the surface of the earth, though they seem to appear much closer.
• The Northern Lights can occur any time of year but are seen best in the winter when it is dark at night.